“This is a dangerous precedent” Young teenage girls can now buy emergency contraception pills straight from the shelf. An FDA announcement made Tuesday confirming that the “morning after pill,” also known as Plan B, will now be available to girls as young as 15. The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday the drug will be placed on store shelves instead of behind the pharmacy counter. Before the change, girls had to be 17 and had to ask a pharmacist or doctor for the drug. Conservatives oppose the move, arguing parents and medical professionals should be involved in major medical decisions involving young girls. Some critics say Plan B is the equivalent of an abortion pill because it may be able to prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/healthscience/2013/April/FDA-Morning-After-Pill-OK-Ages-15-Up/Dr. Manny Alvarez, senior managing health editor for FoxNews.com “This is a dangerous precedent. So you’re going to allow a 13-year-old child to be able to buy what once was a prescription regulated medication over the counter without any kind of restriction, any kind of parental advice. How is a child at the age of 13 going to be able to understand indication, usage and potential side effects?” www.foxnews.com/health/2013/04/05/plan-b-ruling-doctors-divided-over-lifting-age-restrictions-on-morning-after/#ixzz2S2wbx6WA

A coalition of manufacturers has pledged to provide new prosthetic legs for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings if their health insurance won’t cover the full cost of the devices. The cost of an artificial leg for a below-the-knee amputee: $8,000 to $12,000. The cost of a prosthetic to replace a leg lost above the knee: $40,000 to $60,000. http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=675937

Tainted Turkey? Most Ground Turkey Contains Potentially Harmful Bacteria. Consumer Reports finding that that “there is a direct relationship between the routine use of antibiotics in animal production and increased antibiotic resistance in bacteria on ground turkey.” http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=675904